The present invention relates to a method of providing information to a user at a remote terminal. In particular, the invention relates to a method of providing status and operational information to an agent to enable the agent to resolve an irregularity at the remote terminal. The invention has particular application to automated teller machine (ATM) networks.
In a typical ATM network, each ATM reports status information to a central management center. This status information indicates the state of health of an ATM, and may include details of the number and types of transactions that have been executed by the ATM.
When an irregularity occurs at the ATM (conventionally referred to as an incident), then the ATM sends a status report including a fault code to the central management center. This fault code indicates the nature of the incident. Examples of possible incidents include: the ATM having run out of media (such as receipt paper, cash, journal paper, and such like) or anticipated to run out of media in the near future, and a module in the ATM malfunctioning (for example, a card reader being unable eject a card).
The central management center uses this fault code to determine the nature of the incident. If the incident requires replenishment (either immediately or some time in the near future) then a human operator typically contacts a replenisher to replenish the ATM. If the incident requires some maintenance then the operator typically selects and contacts a suitable service agent to resolve the incident. The skill level of the service agent selected may depend on the nature of the incident. Typically there are two skill levels of service agent: those who can perform first line maintenance, and those who can perform second line maintenance.
First line maintenance is used to resolve incidents that do not require specialist tools or a skilled technician. Second line maintenance is more expensive than first line maintenance, and is used for those incidents that require specialist tools and a skilled technician.
One problem commonly experienced with second line maintenance is that the service agent has to contact the operator to obtain more information relating to the incident or how to resolve the incident. If this information is detailed and/or technical, then the operator may have to fax the information to the agent, which can be difficult if the agent has limited access to a fax machine.